Guyana Elections Commission Corner

CEO of GECOM Meets Representative of AFC

In keeping with its deliberate open door policy of being responsive and accommodative to Political Parties, the Chief Election Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Mr. Gocool Boodoo, met with Mr. Raphael Trotman, Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) on Wednesday, September 28, 2011.

The meeting was held at the behest of the AFC to discuss primarily (i) the procedures associated with preparation of Lists of Candidates for contesting the General and Regional Elections – 2011, and submission of Lists of Candidates on Nomination Day, and (ii) the appointment of Polling Agents and their responsibilities and functions on Election Day.  Mr. Trotman was accompanied by Mr. Clayton Hall and Mr. David Patterson – both of whom are senior members of the AFC.

GECOM Chairman addresses GPSU Delegates

Chairman of GECOM, Dr. Steve Surujbally responded favourably to an invitation from the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) to address those delegates at the Union’s 19th Biennial Delegates Congress, who would be potential members of the Union’s Observer Team, on the role of Domestic Observers for the upcoming General and Regional Elections.  The Congress was held on September 29-30, 2011.

The GPSU has been accredited as a Local Observer Group for the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

IT Monitoring Panel Holds First Meeting

The IT Monitoring Panel (ITMP) which was constituted by GECOM, in collaboration with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the Joint Opposition Parliamentary Parties (JOPP), held its first meeting on Wednesday, September 28, 2011.

The objective of the ITMP is to (i) promote transparent and credible elections, and (ii) to demonstrate that transparency in the preparation and production of the Official List of Electors and the allocation of electors at designated Polling Stations is not an illusion.

This meeting was chaired by Mr. Roy Dalle Vedove, GECOM’s IT Consultant and included Mr. Arun Mangar, Representative of the PPP, Mr. Alexei Ramotar Alternate (to Mr. Mangar) Representative, and Mr. Martin Webster, Representative of the JOPP.  Also present at the Meeting were Mr. Andrew Chung, GECOM’s Systems Analyst/IT Administrator, and Ms. Juanita Barker-Archibald GECOM’s Legal Officer.

Training of Polling Day Staff

GECOM continues to move ahead with its nationwide series of two-day Training

Sessions targeting personnel who will be employed to work throughout Guyana on Polling Day for the upcoming Elections.  The fifth leg in the series was conducted simultaneously on October 1 and 2, 2011 in Electoral District 5, and at Orealla in District 6.

Vishnu Persaud
Public Relations Officer
02.10.2011